A festive atmosphere filled the streets of Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, as the annual “Schoduvel” parade, the largest in the northern region, took place. Niedersachsen’s Interior Minister, Daniela Behrens and the city’s mayor, Thorsten Kornblum, both from the SPD, participated in the six-kilometer long procession.
However, a brief incident occurred when a man attempted to throw a filled beaker at the minister, but a police officer accompanying the minister’s vehicle was hit instead. Despite the minister not being the intended target, a person was arrested and a complaint was filed.
According to reports, a group of football fans from Eintracht Braunschweig, the local second-division team, had been vocal in their discontent with the minister’s role in reducing the guest fan quota for the team’s matches. The fans displayed several banners, some of which read “Without fans, no derby” “Daniela, leave” and “Behrens must fall.” The banners featured a Behrens mask with a clown’s nose and some fans chanted “Behrens out.”
The police reported that the minister was verbally abused and an investigation has been launched against the individuals involved. The police also stated that a complaint was filed against the man who attempted to throw the beaker, as well as against others who verbally attacked the minister and used offensive language.
The NDR live broadcast of the parade captured the fans’ messages, including “FCK BHRNS” and “All Cops Are Behrens” which were displayed during the broadcast.
In the past, the interior minister had advocated for the complete exclusion of guest fans from matches between Braunschweig and Hannover, citing the repeated disturbances at and after the games. This led to a reduced guest fan quota for the return match in Braunschweig, which ended in a 2-0 win for the home team.